Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

Using whole eggs instead of just the yolk, makes this homemade mayonnaise recipe practically fail-proof and extra easy. Jump to the Whole Egg Mayonnaise Recipe or watch our quick video to see how we make the tastiest and easiest mayonnaise in less than 10 minutes!

We all struggle with what to cook for dinner and yes, I am definitely including Adam and I in that! So you never run out of inspiration, we want to send you a completely free weekly email with easy, delicious and fresh recipes perfect for dinner! Click here to sign up for free now!

How to Make Practically No-Fail Whole Egg Mayonnaise

The ingredients are simple — we bet you even have them in your kitchen right now. You will need an egg, Dijon mustard, red or white wine vinegar, some salt and a neutral flavored oil.

A+J’s Tip: You can use olive oil, but it can be a little overpowering so use one that’s light and fruity and consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil and use something more neutral for the rest.

There are a few ways to make mayonnaise. We use our food processor with the small bowl attachment, but an immersion blender or making it completely by hand will work. (Expect tired arms and strong biceps if you do choose to do it by hand).

Room temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise at home. If you’re not able to wait for the egg to come to room temperature, submerge it in lukewarm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes.

To make the mayo, combine egg with mustard, vinegar and some salt in the bowl of a food processor. Mustard adds flavor, but it also helps to keep the mayonnaise stable. Along with the egg yolk, mustard helps emulsify the mixture, reducing the risk of our mayo breaking.

Give everything a whirl in the processor, scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl then slowly (very, very slowly) add the oil. Start by adding tiny drops of oil until about 1/4 of the oil has been added. It’s at this point that you should notice the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify. Once this happens, you can be a little less strict with how slowly the oil is added. A thin stream of oil is perfect. After all of the oil is added, you’ll be left with thick and creamy mayonnaise.

At this point it is a good idea to taste the mayonnaise to see if any more salt or acid is needed. We usually add a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up a little. This is also a great time to make the mayonnaise entirely your own. Fresh herbs, garlic paste, chipotle, Sriracha or curry powder are all amazing options. A+J’s Tip: To make garlic paste, finely chop one clove of garlic, sprinkle with a little coarse salt then use the flat side of your knife to press and scrape the garlic against your cutting board until a paste forms.

How to Fix Broken Mayonnaise

When making mayonnaise, the worst, but not unfixable, thing that can happen to you is that the mixture breaks, leaving you with a curdled mess. Our recipe tries to prevent this a few ways: we use a whole egg, which adds a little more liquid to the mix, mustard acts as an emulsifier from the get go and we are careful to stream our oil in slowly. While we have never had this recipe for mayonnaise break on us, if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it.

Add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then slowly beat the broken mayonnaise into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again (a tip from Julia Child). Another trick is to repeat the same process, but replace the teaspoon of mustard with an egg yolk.

YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: We use this mayonnaise to make our seriously good coleslaw. See how to make our favorite homemade coleslaw. Jump to the Easy Coleslaw Recipe.

Fail-Proof Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe

PREP 10mins

TOTAL 10mins

Homemade mayonnaise is such a treat. It’s very simple to make, too. Room temperature ingredients are best when making mayonnaise at home. If you’re not able to wait for the egg to come to room temperature, submerge it in lukewarm (not hot) water for a couple of minutes. There are a few ways to make mayonnaise. We use our food processor with the small bowl attachment, but an immersion blender or making it completely by hand and large whisk will work. (Expect tired arms and strong biceps if you do choose to do it by hand).

Directions

Prepare Equipment

If you have a large food processor, use the smaller bowl attachment that came with your processor so that the bowl is not too large for the amount of mayonnaise this recipe makes. Not using the smaller bowl can prevent the mayonnaise from emulsifying since the mixture will not have enough contact with the blade.

If you do not the smaller bowl attachment, making the mayonnaise with an immersion blender or by hand are alternatives. Or simply make a larger batch and double the recipe and use the standard bowl attachment.

Make Mayonnaise

Add egg, mustard, vinegar, and salt to the small bowl of a food processor and process for 20 seconds. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl, turn the food processor on then begin to slowly add the oil in tiny drops until about a quarter of the oil has been added (this is critical for proper emulsification).

Once you notice that the mixture is beginning to thicken and emulsify, you can be a little less strict. With the processor on, continue to add it slowly, but increase to a very thin stream instead of drops of oil.

When all of the oil has been added, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl and process for an extra 10 seconds. Taste mayonnaise for seasoning then add salt, lemon juice or extra vinegar to taste. Note, if the mayo seems too thin, slowly stream in more oil with the processor running until thick.

Adam and Joanne's Tips

Storing Homemade Mayonnaise: Store covered in the refrigerator as long as the expiration date of your eggs allow.

Olive oil: Olive oil can be a little overpowering so use one that’s light and fruity and consider only replacing half of the oil called for in the recipe with olive oil and use something more neutral for the rest.

Fixing Broken Mayonnaise: While we have never had this recipe for mayonnaise break on us, if it happens to you don’t fret! You really should be able to fix it. Add about 1 teaspoon of mustard to a bowl then slowly beat the broken mayonnaise into the mustard until it becomes emulsified and creamy again (a tip from Julia Child). Another trick is to repeat the same process, but replace the teaspoon of mustard with an egg yolk.

I can’t wait to try your recipe today. I’m out of ‘Just Mayo’ which I realised didn’t have eggs! I liked it because it had the fewest ingredients of the mayos on the shelf. But I’d like to try your mayo since it has even fewer!. My question for you though, is, have you come up with an egg free version? My sister can’t eat eggs, dairy and gluten! Poor thing. Or know of an egg free recipe elsewhere? I’m trying to stay away from canola oil as most is GMO. But if you look out there, i did find a non-gmo version. I’ll try with grapeseed oil.

I’ve read elsewhere that it can be made with a stick blender and a long tall glass jar. I’ve done it once and it was great. But I couldn’t find that recipe. I tried it with this one and it didn’t emulsify. So I added two egg yolks and it got there but it took forever! Anyone else have success with that?

Excellent recipe. The first time I made it with olive oil and red wine vinegar and it had the olive flavor. The second time I used white vinegar and safflower oil and the results were just as spectacular. Now – question: has anyone tried to make this with a mixer (hand-held)? My food processor broke down, and I feel that the mixer blades will have more contact with the ingredients than an immersion blender. Thanks!

I don’t have a small bowl for my food processor (it’s 20 years old and if I had one I lost it) so I doubled the recipe. Took a bit of time (added the oil for about twelve minutes) but it came out great! Just when I started to think I screwed something up, it began to thicken. Can’t wait to make it again and try some different flavors; although, it is perfectly tasty as is! Thanks for the recipe!

We are so glad you’re here. You’ll find recipes that are easy-to-make, worth your time and that you’ll want to make over and over again. Most recipes are from scratch and taste so much better than store-bought! More about us…